I stop by Dash’s desk, and once she’s signed, I take the elevator down to my floor.
When I walk into Noah’s office, he and Kao are giving each other a brotherly hug. They both have huge grins on their faces.
“What did I miss?” I ask.
Kao’s smile widens, then he says, “Fallon’s pregnant.”
Wrapping my arm around Kao’s shoulders, I say, “That’s great news. Congrats.”
I hold the folder out to him. “I need you and Noah to sign.”
Kao takes a seat at Noah’s desk, and I wait while they read over the document and sign wherever I’ve marked.
When I’m done, I send Uncle Rhett a text asking him to stop by the office. He’s still signing everything until his daughter, Jade, graduates from college this coming May.
As soon as I’m back in my office, I pull my phone out and send Danny a text.
R: Have I told you it’s a turn-on watching you run this company?
It takes a couple of minutes before she replies.
D: You haven’t.
D: Be in my office at ten pm, and I’ll let you fuck me on my desk.
My lips instantly curve up.
R: How do you expect me to get any work done now?
D: Oops, my bad.
I let out a chuckle. Shaking my head, I have to force myself to not sit and fantasize about Danny naked on her desk.
Fuck, tonight can’t come soon enough.
Chapter 11
DANNY
The first week back in the states has been beyond hectic. I don’t know if I’m coming or going.
There’s so much work to catch up with, but not feeling well, I decide to visit the ER during my lunch hour.
“I’m probably just pregnant,” I tell the doctor again.
He smiles at me. “We’ll know soon enough, but just in case you’re not, we’ll run a bunch of tests. Okay?” He begins doing a routine check, then asks, “Besides the headaches, dizzy spells, and nausea, is there anything else?”
“My vision blurs during the dizzy spells, and my legs go numb. There are also times where… it’s a struggle to talk like my words are stilted. It’s hard to explain.”
The nurse who took my urine to do a pregnancy test comes back to say, “The test is negative.”
Shoot. I was actually excited about the idea that I might be pregnant.
There’s a stab of disappointment in my chest as the doctor shines a light into my eyes. “I’d like to run a CT scan, as well as do some bloodwork. Just so we can eliminate all the possibilities.”
“Okay.”
I have to fill out a bunch of paperwork and patiently sit while a nurse draws blood. As soon as I have a moment alone, I call Christopher’s number.
“Hey, where are you? I just checked your office,” my brother answers.
“I’m out running some errands… Then I lost my credit card…. I’m stuck at the bank. Can you cover for me? Please.” I feel horrible for lying to Christopher, but I don’t want him to worry.
“Of course.”
I see the nurse walking back to me and quickly say, “Thanks. I appreciate it. Catch you later.”
I cut the call just as the nurse reaches me. “Let’s get that CT scan done. You’ll need to take off all your jewelry.”
I remove the ring on my right hand, then my watch and earrings, and drop them in one of my handbag's side pockets. I also have to change into a hospital gown because my suit has zippers.
The whole procedure takes a while, and lying on the bed as the machine scans over me, my thoughts return to the business trip and how amazing Ryker’s been since we’ve been back.
I still can’t believe Ryker actually loves me. He’s been so attentive and sweet, melting my heart.
How lucky am I?
When the scan is done, I let out a sigh of relief, thinking they’re not going to find anything.
I change back into my clothes and take a seat in the designated waiting area. Forty minutes later, I begin to feel edgy, needing to get back to work. My eyes keep darting to my watch, and I wonder if I shouldn’t call Christopher again.
Finally, the ER doctor comes toward me. There’s a comforting smile on his face, one he probably wears every single day.
“Okay, so we did find something. He turns the scan so I can see, but I have no idea what I’m looking at. “It looks like you have a growth in your right frontal lobe. We’ll need to do an MRI, though.”
His words don’t sink in, and I can only nod. “Okay. Now?”
“Yes, if you don’t mind changing back into the hospital gown. A nurse will be with you shortly.”
I go through the motions, my mind stunned into a haze. Once I’m wearing the hospital gown, I lift my hand to my mouth as the doctor's words repeat in my mind.
A growth.
In my head.
Oh my God.
Anxiety begins to build in my chest with every passing minute.